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Virginia man among 3 service members killed in Afghanistan blast

Posted at 4:49 PM, Nov 28, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-28 16:49:54-05

A Lexington, Virginia man was among three US service members who were killed by an improvised explosive device near the city of Ghazni, Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Green Beret Captain Andrew Patrick Ross, Green Beret Sergeant 1st Class Eric Michael Emond and Combat Controller Staff Sergeant Dylan J. Elchin were the three victims of Tuesday’s blast.

29-year-old Ross was a Lexington resident.

The attack comes as the Taliban have strengthened their grip over the country in recent years.

recent report released by the US government’s own ombudsman of the war found that the Afghan government now controls 56 percent of the districts in the country, down from 72 percent in November 2015.

Insurgent influence or control has risen to 12.5 percent of districts from just 7 percent, and approximately a third of Afghanistan is a “contested” area.